


Aeducan

by Hero_of_Denerim



Series: Welcome to Warden Academy [5]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dwarf Noble Origin, Gen, Light Angst, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2016-12-13
Packaged: 2018-09-08 08:17:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8837287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hero_of_Denerim/pseuds/Hero_of_Denerim
Summary: A reinterpretation of the Dwarf Noble Origin.Recently promoted in her father's business, fate seems to have a bright future in store for Aeducan. But she quickly learns that success also has a dark side.





	

The sound of beer humps clashing together was only matched by the loud cheers everyone made while doing so. And Sereda enjoyed it. Not only, because she had worked her sweet, little arse off to earn it; with all the time she had spent on learning everything she possibly could about their family business, she’d better get the recognition she deserved. No, the best part was that it had made Trian furious. Her stone-headed brother had not congratulated her when her father had announced his decision, instead, he had even stormed out of the board room. She hoped he had crumpled his overpriced suit in the process.

It was too funny, really. All this time, he had belittled her, badmouthed her when he thought she couldn’t hear him, and now… Well, he had it coming. Trian simply couldn’t understand how to work with other people, even less how to make them like him, poor sod. She, on the other hand, did. Not without reason she was their father’s favourite.

She pushed the thought of her older brother aside. While his abrupt leave had been amusing, tonight was about her, and her success. He had not shown up to the fancy dinner her father had arranged for her. Not that her father was here, either, but that was also for the best; his heart medication didn’t mix well with the potent dwarven beer, as many physicians had tried to convince him, and since her mother had passed away, no-one dared to refuse his order.

But her younger brother was here, and so were her friends and colleagues, which made for an extraordinary night. Those were the people who actually cared about her.

It had been a fairly pleasant day for her, overall. She had visited the Proving Grounds earlier, though more to be seen than t gamble herself. Sereda enjoyed the tension in the air, and how the concentrated players tried to read each other’s blank faces… During a tournament, everyone was even more on edge, desperate to trick the other players and the bank just this once, and win the jackpot. Though naturally, no-one ever did.

From what she knew, today’s tournament had been advertised to be last week, and was cancelled due to a hacker attack, or something similar; it didn’t affect them, so she hadn’t paid too much attention to the continuous news stream on that matter. She only knew that it reeked of Carta machineries, because that’s what they said the most. Not surprising, as the Carta was supposed to be behind everything these days, if the rumours were to be believed. Apparently though, the Proving Ground has dealt with the situation, and had restored order in its halls. How anyone could hack a Wicked Grace table was still beyond her, however.

It had been exciting either way. Then, she was already summoned to the board meeting, and her father declared her the new head of HR in front of the Assembly; none of the other members reacted to her promotion as badly as her brother did, but she hadn’t expected anything else. Aeducan Corporation was doubtlessly the most successful trading company in all of Orzammar, and it had the best connections here and at the surface. Of course, the other CEOs knew they would profit from this, they couldn’t keep their own businesses afloat without the widespread network Aeducan Corporation provided. So they clung to all decisions her father made like helpless little nugs, trying their best to be remembered in this still fragile trading alliance.

And maybe, all of this hadn’t been such a great deal, if her father himself hadn’t started out in the very position she now had. She didn’t have to ask the Stone for an answer to know that it had to be a deliberate move on his part, to show were his favour lay.

“Why are you looking so serious, sis? I expected to see you in the heart of this party, not at its edge!” Bhelen flopped down on an empty chair next to her. With his wide grin, he handed her another hump filled to the brim with cool beer.

“Oh, you know, new responsibilities and all that. I have to,” she shrugged.

He rolled his eyes. “You almost sound like Mr No-Fun-Allowed-Around-Me! Seriously, do you need an assistant? I’m told I make a pretty sick coffee.” He winked at her. “I’m not sure how longer I can keep myself from snapping at him.”

She shot him an apologetic half-smile. “You know that I’ll continue working with Gorim. He has supported me since I started working here.”

“Yeah, sure. If you want to call it ‘work’. But if you ever feel like changing your mind, you know where to find me.” He thrusted his own hump into the air and continued with a raised voice, “Until then, here’s to the future head of Aeducan Corporation!”

Others chimed in, cheering and roaring, just for her. And she knew he shouldn’t have said something like that, she really did. But, she didn’t care. Not tonight. Because tonight, she felt that maybe, she could succeed in everything she wanted.

 

***

 

The next morning, Sereda had trouble to get up. It had been quite a while since she had drunk as much as she had last night. Not that she couldn’t handle her drink, she wasn’t a sodding child, but it had been a lot.

At least her head wasn’t spinning, the way it did when she had tried beer for the first time. Oh, how horrible she had felt the next morning! Now, her legs were still a bit wobbly, when she got out of bed, but nothing major she couldn’t deal with. Good thing she hadn’t planned anything for the day; she would start working in her new position tomorrow, so today she could take the time to get the alcohol out of her system.

She gently brushed through her thick, coarse hair. Once she had tamed and braided it, she could decide how exactly she wanted to spend her day.

Just as she tied up the end of her braid, the door was blasted open. She sighed loudly. Now she wouldn’t find rest, not when he showed up.

“What brings you to me, brother? Coming to deliver your belated congratulations? You shouldn’t have.”

She heard his condescending huff, but didn’t bother to look at him; at part, because she didn’t need to, but mainly, because she knew it made him even angrier. Their relationship had been strained at best, but now… Her promotion had been the final drop into a bucket full of fights, rivalries, and more or less openly expressed hatred. She had stopped caring about what he thought of her a long time ago.

“I’d rather a herd of brontos trample over my living body, sister,” he spat. “But our father insists on your presence today. So get your drunk arse out of your room, and into the office. And try to not humiliate yourself too much; though I’m intrigued to see how much father will like this side of you.”

Deliberately slow, she opened her wardrobe and pulled out a new blazer. Only when she had put it on, and picked up her glasses from her nightstand, she turned and walked out of her room, right past her brother. “Well, what are you waiting for, then?”

The Aeducan Corporation headquarter wasn’t far from their family mansion; they surely didn’t have to leave the Diamond Quarter to get there. That also meant, that they didn’t have to pretend too long they weren’t outright ignoring each other; despising the other was one thing, but showing their infighting openly was another. It would only reflect badly onto their business if they did.

With a triumphant grin, she stepped into the conference room just ahead of her brother. Bhelen and her father were already there, looking up expectantly; both she and Trian took their seats hastily.

Their father looked old today. Sereda knew that he had left his strong years behind him a while ago, but she had never seen him this tired.

“I am glad that all of you managed to join me today. Sereda, salroka, I hope you enjoyed yourself last night?”

She smiled amiably. “Yes, father. It would have only been better if you had joined us.”

“We both know that is not true, but I still appreciate the sweetness of your words. However, there is another reason I asked you to come. As you know, I have lead this company since decades, as had my father before me, and his father before him. I have experienced hardships and good times alike in my time, but slowly I am becoming too old to fully commit to our company.

“I will retire on my own terms, before the Stone just takes me. And I want to know this,” he gestured towards the whole room, “in good hands. All three of you are more than capable, but do not believe I have not noticed your petty squabbles. This is no acceptable behaviour in this business.

“I have consulted my old friends about this matter, but it is still a difficult decision to make. I trust you will keep up your work until I have come to a conclusion, and I expect all of you to respect it, and the candidate I chose, and to work together to further Aeducan Corporation.”

Then he nodded towards them, and left the room. His children stared after him.

“Did he just-“ Bhelen was the first to find his words, and ran his hand through his sandy hair. “He can’t just drop this on us!”

“He did.” Trian looked over to him. “He did, and he will realise who will be worth of succeeding him.”

If Sereda had ever felt she was too harsh towards her older brother, instances like this one reminded her why. Always so condescending and arrogant to anyone he knew and met. The way he stared down at their younger brother had nothing brotherly to it; only tyranny and madness.

She knew many reasons she couldn’t allow him to succeed their father, and his manner was one of them. Though, if she was being honest to herself, nothing motivated her more to outshine him than spite. She remembered all the times he had looked down on her, called her worthless and a mistake their father had made; and she would get back at him for that.

But she didn’t speak up now, only watched him. They were rivals, now more than they ever used to be, and she would take extra care of what she would say in his presence.

Trian wanted war, and he would get it.

She watched him storm out of the room, probably to yell at the next best sod who stood in his way. But she should prepare herself, too. He underestimated her, and she would not make the same mistake; Trian was unlikeable, but not stupid.

“Wait.”

Sereda looked back to the table; as her mind had started to develop strategies, she hadn’t noticed Bhelen was still here.

“Shouldn’t you be helping Trian?” She narrowed her eyes. Right now, it served her better to be suspicious. Spying on her through their brother… She wasn’t proud of it, but that was what she would’ve done.

“I- yes, probably. But… Listen. We both know he mustn’t become the next CEO. We both know how he is. He wouldn’t only ruin our business, but our whole name with it. We mustn’t let this happen!”

Bhelen’s determination surprised her. Usually, he was the one to take the mildest route, without offending either sibling. That he had changed to this, spoke volumes. “Why, Bhelen, I didn’t know you had such a radical side. But as long as you don’t already have a plan up your sleeve, we aren’t getting anywhere soon.”

At that, he grinned. “What if I told you I had a plan?” He paused, a tad on the overly dramatic side, but she kept her snarky remark to herself. If he would truly help her, he had her attention.

“What if I had contacts to a new business partner on the surface? What if I could persuade said contact to open an account only with you? If you presented father with a new, exclusive alliance you have secured, surely he couldn’t do anything else but name you his successor.”

Sereda grimaced in thought. “It might, depending on the partner. Anyone we have heard of, or only some recent start-up?”

He leaned back in his chair, his grin growing even wider. “Tethras Enterprises.”

A fit of coughs overcame her. The largest trading company on the surface, that had refused to enter an exclusive trade deal yet, was one of her little brother’s contacts? She had certainly underestimated him!

“You sound like you agree with me?”

“Yes,” she choked out, rubbing her throat. “How quickly can we meet?”

“As early as tonight, dearest sister. I had thought it would be nice if one of your early actions had a long-term effect no-one could ignore. But under these circumstances… Consider it a present.”

“Sure.” Her thoughts were racing. If she could secure Tethras Enterprises tonight, Trian would be done for. But he couldn’t know of it. She wanted to savour the moment he realised he had lost for good. “Can we meet out of town?”

“Way ahead of you!” He pulled out a scrap of paper with some crudely scribbled lines on it. “You know this practically abandoned thaig? One of the houses won’t be locked. There, my contact will be waiting for you.”

Slowly, her mouth twisted into a grin. She liked it when things turned in her favour. “Bhelen, I owe you one.”

“It’s nothing,” he waved his hand dismissively through the air. “Just, don’t forget who had been on your side from the beginning.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t!”

 

***

 

Sereda had no idea where she was. She had followed Bhelen’s instructions meticulously, until she was fairly certain she had reached the thaig he had mentioned. But the map he had given her was as barely intelligible mess of lines, and its descriptions were more than vague.

She had thought it would be easy. Just find the right house, sign the contract, walk back home. How many abandoned houses could possibly be there?

A lot, she found out. And she couldn’t check all of them; it would take her forever, and Bhelen’s contact would be gone by the time she had found the right location. So, she began to look for some kind of sign on them. There were a few smudged symbols in the corners of her paper slip, and she hoped fervently they were related to what she was searching.

It didn’t help that she had a poor sense of orientation. Even in Orzammar she was more often troubled to find her way than she was willing to admit.

But this thaig was vast. And with no memorable landmarks, she was hopelessly lost. Had she walked around this corner before? Was this house only broken similarly to one she had seen earlier, or was it the same?

She wished Bhelen had accompanied her. He would’ve known where to go. But he had stayed back at home, to distract Trian. Not that her older brother had ever cared about where she was, but she didn’t want to risk it now. She had even left Gorim behind, and didn’t tell him of her endeavour. He would just have been worried, and might have given them away.

Still, it would’ve been nice to not be completely alone in this. If only because she would feel better. Not at all because this place was creeping her out.

Sereda continued to stumble through the empty thaig. A little bit more light would help, too. Many mushrooms that grew down here had a faint glow to them, but it was barely enough for her to recognise the outlines of the buildings. She was used to the bright lanterns lining the streets in the Diamond Quarter. Why hadn’t she thought about packing a flashlight?

Eventually, far off in the distance, she spotted a small, flickering light. At first she thought her mind played tricks on her; she wanted to find the rendezvous point so desperately she saw things that weren’t there.

After she blinked repeatedly, and rubbed her eyes, the light was still there. With a relieved huff, she sped up and walked towards its source.

She noticed quickly that it wasn’t even that far; the light was only really small, and weak. And the closer she got, the more her excitement grew. When she reached the house, she had to force herself to stand still, and to calm down. It wouldn’t be becoming for her if she was excited as a nug before dinner.

Sereda knocked at the door frame; of course this was the unlocked house her brother had spoken of, when the door was missing completely! Bhelen could’ve mentioned that.

Inside, she saw some movement in the shadows, before a figure broke away from a dark corner. They had covered themselves with a loose cloak. A wide hood hid their face.

“Are you Bhelen’s cont-“ She interrupted herself as the figure placed one finger at their lips. The meeting place, the veiled contact, the secrecy… All of this was very dramatic. Briefly she feared Bhelen had simply pranked her, lured her away so Trian could sabotage her while she was gone. But she pushed that thought away. He had been too earnest earlier. This whole mess was making her paranoid! And right now, she had no choice but to play along.

The figure nodded as she stayed silent, or at least Sereda thought they did, and pointed towards a table behind them. On it wasn’t only the light source, which was a lantern crafted in an elaborate dwarven design, but also a pen and a stack of papers.

She followed his invitation, and browsed through the pages. Tethras Enterprises… Long-term commitment… Exclusive partnership… It almost sounded too good to be true. But she wouldn’t question her luck. Quickly, she signed both copies, admiring how effortless the blue ink flowed from the pen, and took one of them. Her father would be so proud of her!

And Trian… She almost pitied him; if he hadn’t been such a colossal arse every time they spoke, that is. Time for him to live with the consequences.

For a short while, she awkwardly stood next to the table, trying to decide whether she should simply leave or say something. She had never been part of closing a deal like this before, what was appropriate? As the figure didn’t move either, she settled for a small nod in their direction, and made her way back home.

Tomorrow, she would tell everyone of her little expedition, and its results. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Trian’s face!

 

***

 

Her night had been restless and short. Too excited for the following day, she had rather imagined the various way her father would praise her, and shun her brother, than succumb to sleep.

Eventually, she did, but the few hours she got passed by rapidly. On every other day, she would have been grumpy due to her lack of rest, but not today. She all but jumped out of bed, a grin already showed on her face. With every sense of restrain in her, she did not run off immediately but stayed to groom herself; while she didn’t want to wait a minute longer, she also wanted to look more than just presentable, today especially. If she hadn’t been too reluctant to disturb her father in his sleep, she would’ve gone to him the very moment she had arrived.

She gently checked the pockets in her jacket; she felt the folded paper rustle softly under her touch, and she tapped lightly against it. Just to make sure. Not that she forgot the most important thing!

With a spring in her step, she walked towards the office. She would’ve whistled, if she could do that in the first place.

At the entrance, Bhelen was waiting. He waved at her when she came closer. “Good, you’re already here! Father asked to see us, and told me to fetch you. Now I only need to wake up Trian.” He played with his fingers, visibly nervous.

Sereda squeezed his shoulder lightly. “He wasn’t too awful yesterday?”

He shrugged with a long-drawn-out sigh. “Well, better to suffer under him for an evening than for the next decades. As long as we keep him out of a leading position, it was worth it.” He paused, and furrowed his brow. “You have met with my contact, right?”

“Of course! Why else do you think I’m up this early?”

“Just making sure. I know how terrible your orientation is.” Bhelen looked relieved; if he was relaxed enough to tease her, everything was fine. He gave her a quick hug, and walked off towards their mansion.

She chuckled to herself, and walked inside. Just a few more moments, and she would finally triumph over Trian. She had to be patient, until he got here, too.

Luckily for her waning patience, she didn’t have to wait for too long. Bhelen seemed to have found their brother on his way here, too. And Trian looked as arrogant as he always did. Oh, how she looked forward to see his sneer fade from his face!

Together, they walked upstairs to the conference room. Their father was already there, sitting in his usual chair. He didn’t notice their arrival, as he studied some documents lying on the table before him.

Only when Bhelen cleared his throat, after they had awkwardly stood in the doorframe for a while, he looked up. Sereda had never seen her father like this. If he told them he had aged twenty years over night, she would’ve believed him without question. He seemed to be so tired, so weary, she almost expected him to collapse on the table.

“Would the two of you care to explain this?” It would’ve sounded accusing, if his voice wasn’t this powerless. He motioned towards the paperwork he had previously examined.

Trian and she hesitantly stepped forward, and glanced over the documents. Both were contracts negotiating the divestment of their company’s stocks, as well as some insider information. She hadn’t anticipated her brother to play this dirty. However, he beat her to the punch.

“Is this your strategy, sister? You haven’t even won, and you’re already a sore loser!”

His tone made her furious. “Funny you would say that, as I haven’t seen these before! It’s too late to shift the blame on me, just because you were discovered!”

As both looked to their father for support, he waved at them dismissively. “You haven’t seen these papers before, you say?” Both nodded, and Sereda opened her mouth to argue why she would never do such a thing; but her father cut her off. “Then please, tell me you didn’t sign it.”

With shaking hands, she flipped through the contract, until she opened it up on the last page. There it was, in blue ink on white paper, her own signature. And it was unmistakably hers. Next to her, Trian looked up from the document he held in his hands, with the same disbelief written across his face.

“Father, I swear, I don’t know how it got there! I would have never done such a thing, you should know that!” Her frantic pleas fell on deaf ears; their father wouldn’t hear any of it. If she could only make him understand it had been forged in some way, that her signature had been lifted from the contract she was so desperate to show him earlier…

Her copy! She rummaged through her pockets, ignoring the looks the others shot at her. But it wasn’t there anymore. Sereda bit the inside of her cheek. In her panic, she surely had overlooked it! Even though she searched all her pockets twice, however, her own contract was nowhere to be found.

“I- I don’t understand! I had it with me, I know I did, I checked it! It has to be here somewhere-“ Her muttering stopped abruptly when she looked up. Bhelen, still standing in the doorway, smirked at her, as he patted his own jacket.

And she lost it.

“He has it! He has stolen my contract!” Her sudden outcry had the others wince in surprise, but she couldn’t care less right now. If she didn’t produce it immediately, she would-

“Sereda!”

She turned back, facing her father. And when she looked into his eyes, and saw the pain in them, she knew she had been beaten.

“It deeply saddens me to see what you planned to do to our business, as soon as you had control of it. You disappoint me both.”

He stood up, and supported himself with one hand on the table. It was obvious it wasn’t deliberate, and it hurt her to see her father like this. Especially, since she knew she was the cause of it.

“I have tolerated your childish rivalry for too long. But even in my wildest dreams, I haven’t thought you would turn on my legacy like this. You give me no choice.”

He turned around, studying an abstract painting that hung behind him. “I hereby disown both of you. You have until noon to leave my property, and do not dare to come back. You have soiled our house too much already.”

 

***

 

She had cried for an hour when she was back in the safety of her room. As long as it was still her room, anyway. Never before had she felt this hopeless. And all of this happened because she couldn’t stand her brother. It was pathetic.

Sereda had thought about gathering as many of her things she could carry, but ultimately decided against it. A Duster would mug her as soon as she would walk out of the door. That she was now one herself was a truth she couldn’t yet stomach.

So, she had left her room as it was, and had walked away with nothing more than she had on her. Now, she regretted it. Her shoes hadn’t been intended for walking a lot, and her clothes were beginning to smell unpleasantly sweaty. She wasn’t certain how much time had passed since she had left her old home; it was always hard to tell in Orzammar.

Eventually, she had made her way to Dust Town. She didn’t know how long she would be here. There were too many tales about living in this dump of a place; she feared if she stayed here too long, she might get them confirmed first-handedly.

Now, she was stumbling through the alleyways of Dust Town. Before, she had never spared a single thought of this place, pretending like it didn’t exist, like everyone else she knew did. But as she walked through the dirty, neglected district, ignoring it wasn’t quite as easy. It was just too real with it mud-caked huts, the wailing beggars, the dread that hung in the air… She found no way to sugarcoat it. From now on, she would live here.

But where should she go? She couldn’t just squat I the nearest building, hoping no-one would find her. This place was crawling with the poor, and the sick, and no corner seemed to filthy for them to dwell. Not that she had a choice; she’d rather be a beggar than an outlier hiding away in a faraway thaig. Orzammar was still her home!

She might even blend in after a while, her clothes were already becoming threadbare in some places. And here, she was certain, she wouldn’t meet anyone from her former life. She would just be forgotten, as so many before her-

She tripped. It might have been a loosened cobblestone, or some piece of trash, or even her own foot, it was hard to say. Not that it mattered much, she fell flat to the ground all the same. Her ankle hurt, her mouth was filled with dirt, or she hoped it was just dirt, and she was lying face down on the ground in Dust Town. She didn’t know what was the worst part.

Favouring her left leg, she scooted towards he closest building. That’s what she got for trying to outsmart others. But that didn’t mean her life had to be spiralling out of control within a single day. She laughed humourlessly. If she had at least had the chance to make something with it, before her life was worthless like this… Trian might have been right all along.

“Can I help you?”

She bit her tongue to keep her salty retort back. Pity wasn’t what she needed right now. With a curt rebuttal already formed in her mind, she looked up.

He wasn’t a dwarf. No, with his dark skin, his neatly cropped beard, and his long legs, he was very much the contrary. That did change things.

Another dwarf would have expected her to decline, that was how it worked down here. If she couldn’t get up on her own, she wasn’t worth being helped in the first place. But since he was human, how much could he know about dwarven customs? Especially since he was here and not in the Diamond Quarter, were most human guests were.

“I think I sprained my ankle,” she replied. Maybe she would take his pity after all. It might even get her out of here…

He pulled her up, and gave her the once-over. Suddenly, he smiled. “You are Endrin’s child, aren’t you?”

Sereda gaped at him. She didn’t recall meeting him before. How could he know… Unless, the news of her disgrace had spread even faster than she had anticipated. “Yes,” she drawled questioningly.

“I must apologise, throwing you off guard like this. My name is Duncan, and I’m an old friend of your father. I came to see him, in fact, but I was delayed due to some business I had here. Unfortunately, I came too late.”

“Too late?” she repeated. As little as she wanted him to explain, she had to know. “What has happened to my father?”

Duncan’s smile dropped immediately. “I’m sorry, you didn’t know? He had a heart attack, just this morning. His condition has been critical since.”

He continued talking, but she didn’t listen. Her father had had another heart attack? Because of them? If they had acted their age just this once, he might still be fine.

Duncan looked at her inquisitively, and she realised her thoughts had drowned out his words. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”

If he was offended, he didn’t show it. “Would you like to join me?” he instead repeated. “Your younger brother had made it clear that you had no future at his company.” She winced at that; it should’ve been hers! “And according to the rumours coursing through the Merchant Quarter, your other brother is trying very hard to drown himself in ale.” He offered an excusing smile.

“Join you in what?”

Your father had praised your business acumen, and your work ethics whenever we spoke about you. He had invited me this time to meet you in person.”

“He did?”

“Absolutely. He had personally recommended you for our study programme. At Warden Academy, we can teach you everything you need to know to start your own business eventually. if you’re interested.”

She looked around. How could he even ask her something like this while they were standing in Dust Town? Her exaggerated surprise made him chuckle.

“Only if we leave at once.”

**Author's Note:**

> What would life be without a little sibling rivalry hm? I mean, doesn't everyone who has siblings have those days, when they are so annoying you wish for them to be taken by goblins ~~and that maybe David Bowie comes and grants you your wish?~~  
>  If you said no, you're lying.
> 
> Playing the game, this origin was actually my least favourite; not that I hated it, how could you dislike any of the origin stories, really, but it was the one I remembered the least when I started researching for this series. However, as I started to write, I realised I had underestimated it. The next time I'll play the game I'll definitely start with this origin first!
> 
> Again, thank you for taking the time to read this, and if you liked it, please leave some kudos or nice comments behind :)


End file.
